Tagged: ideologies
Life perspectives
A perspective in Life is only a basic view. Perspectives are typically upgraded with labels such as: Law, truth, reality, etc.
Those absolute labels are meant to enhance a perception. The observation of this, is crucial to at least understand with some depth what Life offers and what is tainted through our “knowledge.”
There is a painting in my living room. My location is at one side of it, very close. Am I at the left side or the right side of the painting? That is yet another point of view. Once we select a point of reference such as “me,” I could say that it is on my left side. That is not “reality,” but a perspective.
I could argue that because I am very close to the painting I could see the “reality” of it. That is yet another point of view.
Life is exactly like that painting. We give the meaning based solely in our perspectives, which in turn depend on our conditioning, that is; we are taught to see things in a particular way.
The above is very deep. De-conditioning is around the corner.
Most religions and philosophies thrive in duality, which is a perspective. “That painting is too bright.” That qualification is based on the experience of something dark. The painting just IS. We try to explain it, conceptualize it, add reasons so it makes sense to our conditioned way to see Life; through the veil of “reasoning.”
Who created the painting? That question only shows our conditioning to look for responsible ones, the origin; not realizing that our “reasoning” is taking us to a wild chase of shadows.
Yes, in our “reality” a painting needs to have a painter as the origin, but who created the painter? How far back could we go before we throw an unreasonable “reason”? Just enjoy the picture.
Life is not a painting. Although our perspectives will make it exactly like a painting. Just enjoy the picture.
Paradoxical? Yes and No. Intellectually, yes. In “reality,” No. Just enjoy the picture.
LIFE IS. BEING is its meaning, its “purpose.” We add “good” and “bad.” We create religions and societies based on some artificial distinction, which later will be labeled as “moral,” “godly path,” etc. and its counterpart will be the immoral, the path of the sinner… Self-righteousness is “created” and with that, guilt. Those “creations” have utility in our society, but very artificial.
To live in our society with the “concept” of non-duality is not only impossible. It is silly. Those living in the mind, those who are looking for logical “reasons,” will not be able to “practice it.”
Create a “good” ideology. It sounds good. For instance, let me label it “democracy.” Sell the label to the masses. Have you tried to “practice” democracy? See how our society is failing to “practice” it. Want to create socialism? Practice will destroy it. It will corrupt it. However, in the world of “theories” it sounds pretty good. It is just a matter to “enforce” things… Violence.
Why is that? Why is it, that we cannot put in practice what we preach?
Simple. We ARE NOT what we preach. A cat cannot be a dog, even if the cat “practices” to wag its tail and takes barking lessons… But the “effort” of the cat to become a dog, is the source of many lucrative ventures. Good for the economy! Bottom line in our “reality.”
Theory has always been more desirable than practice, in “reality.”
The Depth of Spiritual knowledge
Ananda was sitting under the shadow of a kind tree, looking at the pristine waters of a lake.
Ananda saw the water in movement with very small ripples, but then as the waters became still, Ananda was able to see the blue sky and some clouds reflecting on that lake.
Ananda thought: “Without the knowledge of what is a reflection, I would have thought that I saw the sky in the water… silly me. ”
Moreover, without knowledge of the sky, Ananda would have called that perception an “out of the world” experience.
There are individuals who are trained to perceive the “hard facts,” a lake is water (H2O)moving because of the effect of the wind and the rotation of the Earth. That definition is called “knowledge.”
That definition does not leave room for the mysterious for the magical. It is like observing something and describing it based on previous findings.
Then we have individuals who are mesmerized by the forms that they are able to see in the water. Figures and forms, which become alive according to their own creativity and imagination. Seeing the sky in the stillness of the water has a magical meaning, for then they will dare to come closer to the water…. And then, the “miracle” will happen…they will see themselves.
That experience of seeing the sky will change into finding their own image.
Not everyone will dare to leave his or her comfortable spot under the shadow of the tree to look closer, to look deeper.
From this perspective, a “hard-core” definition is meaningless; but as we can see both perspectives are right and true, according to the level of awareness and consciousness of the viewers.
Moreover, there will be a very small number of people who will dare to come even closer and look at the waters of the lake from yet a different perspective; the one that will allow them to see the depth of the lake; the one that will allow them to see its bottom.
For those who have not experienced the “bottom of the lake,” any description that they may hear about that will be labeled as just nonsense. “Imagination.”
Nevertheless, the perspective on depth of seeing that lake will change among those who dared to take a look deeper. That is how religions and “isms;” will be created. Followers are needed. Some may see fish, others just dark waters; and yet others crystal clear waters with plants and rocks underneath.
It is just about perspectives. Referential points of view.
There is more than water in a lake. At the same time, there is just water.
Still, fewer, selected ones will dare to take a dip at the lake and experience the water with all their senses: tasting it, touching it, hearing it, and smelling it… Not just seeing it and describing it. The experience is not just with the eyes.
Selected ones are able to do that, for that means to totally abandon any previous ideas or beliefs about the waters of the lake: fears must be dismissed, and a sense of profound enjoyment and curiosity about the unknown, will need to appear.
Even at this level, knowledge is not absolute.
Even the experience of warmth or coldness of the waters will change according to the time and circumstances.
Life is movement and to be present in that movement, we experience and then move on; we forget and let newness come. Comparisons are out of reality, for timing and knowledge is different at different times.
Ananda realized that acknowledging someone’s definition of a lake and their truth was as important as acknowledging the experience of those who took a dip at the waters of that lake.
Different perspectives and experiences.
The only way to know the lake is to be the lake.
Feeling deeply is that experience which will allow us to merge into something which we may experience with our limited senses as not being us, separated from us; so it becomes one with us.
Deep feelings bring together that which has been separated; the knower and that which is to be known. Because in feelings we give away ourselves, our being. Feel deeply until “you” are gone.
That is the basis of meditation, the basis of living life “alive,” and the basis of knowing God.
Exploring the Depth of Living 